Diomedes vs. Aphrodite

Diomedes vs. Aphrodite

The scene where Diomedes wounds Aphrodite is one of the weirdest and most confounding scenes in the Iliad. The first part of the poem shows us the difference between gods and mortals. The counsels of Zeus and the Olympians deciding whether or not to intervene in the fate of the war shows us how much power they have. Only lines before the altercation between Diomedes and Aphrodite, the poet remarks, “Tydeus’ son levered up in one hand a slab of stone much too large for two men to life as men are now”, this is revealing the poets idea that men were once stronger than they are in the epic.

So why, after reasserting man’s weakness dos the poet present an opportunity for a mere mortal to wound a member of the divine family? Not only does the skirmish end in an embarrassing defeat on the part of Aphrodite, but also it presents Diomedes as inhumanly strong and fierce. He further insults the goddess by thinking of her as a “weakling goddess” and “not one of the those who control human warfare-no Athena.” Although the hero only barely scratches Aphrodite’s wrist, the damage done is much deeper. The goddess is depicted as frantic and terrified after the encounter, and she then goes directly to her father to tell him what has happened to evoke sympathy from him. This act isn’t particularly demeaning because at this point in the epic we have already seen several immortals plead with Zeus, but the manner in which she does it and the reaction her wailing warrants is different.